Stadium seat



Nov. 3, 1964 J. P. NECESSARY 3,155,427

STADIUM SEAT Filed March 22, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 JOSEPH P/Y5c5ss mewNov. 3, 1964 J. P. NECESSARY STADIUM SEAT 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March22, 1963 INVENTOR J05 an P W: cn'smr BY 4 7 7' 0 F/YE ys United StatesPatent 3,155,427 STADIUM SEAT Joseph P. Necessary, 1410 Spring,Huntington, W. Va. Filed Mar. 22, 1963, Ser. No. 267,126 3 Claims. (Cl.297-184) benches, including by way of example, but not by way oflimitation, such seats in parks, on boats, or in other places where aperson is likely to experience unpleasant or uncomfortable exposure tothe elements.

It is an object of this invention to provide such a stadium seat whichis light enough to be carried easily by a person of normal strength andendurance, and can be quickly and easily assembled at the place of usein a manner to give the user a maximum degree of protection from sun,wind, rain, sleet and snow.

Other objects of theinventionwill be more fully understood from thefollowingdetailed description of a typical preferred form andapplication of the invention, throughout which description reference ismade to the accompanying drawings in which- FIGURE 1 is a perspectiveview of the stadium seat;

FIGURE 2 is an elevational view of the canopy and the canopy housing,the canopy being illustrated when fully withdrawn from the housing butnot inserted into the coves as is described hereinafter;

FIGURE 3 is a section, with portions broken away, taken along lines 33of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is a section taken along lines 4-4 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 5 is a plan view, looking upwardly, of the seat portion of thestadium seat;

FIGURE 6 is an end'elevational view of the seat portion of the stadiumseat when the same is attached to a stadium seat or bench.

Referringto FIGURE 1 it will be seen that the stadium seat comprisingthis invention is adopted for placement upon a rough seat or bench It),as found in a typical stadium.

The stadium seat includes a seat member 12 which is connected by hingemembers 14 to a back member l. As will be evident, the back member 16can be folded forwardly to a position flush to'the upper surface of theseat member 12, but can only move re'arwardly of the stadium seat as awhole to the position shown in the drawing, further rearward movementbeing prevented by folding braces 18. i

'Fixably mounted on each transverse edge of the back member 16 aresocket members 20 which are so internally dimensioned as to snuglyreceive one end of a L- shaped canopy support member generally indicatedat 22.

As best shownfin FIGURE 1, one leg'24 of each canopy support member 22has its free end formed to snugly fit into the socket member 26, so thatthe leg extends vertically upward. "Theoth erle'g 26 extends generallyhorizontally over the "seatmember 12, i.e. from the back thereof towardthefront'thereof to a position slightly in 3,15 5,427 Patented Nov 3,

of the vertically extending leg 24 and the other of which comprises thehorizontal leg 26 as well as the bend 27 in the member.

It will, of course, be understood that it is equally within thecontemplation of this invention that the two interlocking sections be soformed'that one of them comprises all of the vertically extending leg 24as well as the bend 27 in the canopy support member 22, and that theother section shouldmerely comprise a major portion of the horizontallyextending leg 26. In like manner it is fully within the scope of thisinvention that the canopy support member 22 may be formed of threesections, i.e. two leg sections and one bend section.

In the preferred embodiment shown, the canopy support member is formedof circular tubing 'althoughit will be understood that it is within thecontemplation of this invention that it can be formed with tubing ofsome other shape orfrom solid stock, although in the latter case otherconventional arrangements will have to be made for the junction of therespective portions thereof.

In any event the members defining the bend 27 and the respective legs 24and 26 of the canopy support member 22 have a cove 30 mounted on therearwardly facing end and the upwardly facing surface thereof as bestshown in FIGURE 4." Each cove has its opening 32 so arranged as to facethe other cove,or, stated otherwise, to face in a direction transverselyof the stadium seat as a whole.

An elongated canopy housing 24 is positioned to extend along the rearedge of the seat member 12, to which it is 'alfixed by brackets 36. Asbes't shown in FIGURE 4, the canopy housing contains a roller 38 uponwhich a cloth canopy 39 is wound. The roller 38 is s pring biased with aslip-ratchet arrangement of the conventional type as used onconventional window shade rollers. As such spring biasedslip-ratchet'winding mechanisms are widely known in the art,'and do notin themselves form any part of this invention, no detaileddescription ofsuch mechanisms will be presented here. i i I As is best shown in FIGURE4, the canopy housing has a slit 40 extending from a point adjacent oneend thereof to a point adjacent to the other end, said slip beingdimensioned and arranged to allowfor ingress and egress of the canopy 39which Will now be described.

As best shown in FIGURE 2', the canopy consists of a main panel portion42, which when in use, comprises the back' and top portions of thecanopy, and also includes side panel portions 44 which are shaped toconform with the shape defined'by that portion of a canopy an endmember48" which extends from a point near one edge'bf the canopy/butshort of the bead 46 at that edge/to a point near the second edge of thecanopy, but short of the head 46 at that edge. The 'en'drnember 48isat'least partially hollow andserves to support pins 50 located witheach end thereof, such pins resiliently urged to extend outwardly fromthe ends of the end member 48 "by'spring'means 51;

In this preferred embodiment,"the pins extend to, or are otherwiseconnected with, finger clasps '52 located at the midpoint of the" endmember 48 and are so arranged that pressing the'same togetherwithfingenpiessure will serve to cause the pins 59 to retract to a positionsubstantially flush with the ends of the end member.

When the stadium seat is not in use, the canopy is placed in the foldedcondition illustrated in FIGURE 2 and then rolled up on the roller 38within the housing 34, and the back member 16 is folded flush with theseat member 12.

The respective portions of each canopy support member 22 are disengagedone from the other and each leg 24 is withdrawn from its socket member20. As shown in FIGURE 5, as a matter of convenience these elements maybe secured in suitably shaped recesses 54 formed in the underside of theseat member 12.

When the stadium seat is to be used, the back member is raised to theoperative position shown in FIGURE 1 and the canopy support member isassembled and installed as has been described. A small portion of thecanopy is then withdrawn from the housing 34 and the beads thereof 46are introduced into the cove 30 which, as will now be understood, isonly provided in that portion of the legs 24 which are not inserted withthe sockets 20. The remainder of the canopy is then withdrawn from thecanopy housing in a manner wherein the bead is continually fed into thecove and thus the main panel 42 of the canopy forms a back and a coverfor the stadium seat. When the canopy is fully withdrawn, the end member48 is located substantially on line with the free ends of the legs 26.The finger clasps 52 are operated to withdraw the pins 50 while the endmember is positioned so that the pins are aligned with pin holes 56,which, as can best be seen on FIGURE 1, are but a short distance fromthe free ends of the legs 26. Release of finger pressure on the fingerclasps 52then allows the pins 50 to project into the pin holes 56 sothat the end of the canopy is firmly aifixed in position.

At that point the side panels 44 are brought around the legs 26 and aresecured to the canopy support members and to the edges of the seatmember 12. In the preferred embodiment shown, this attachment isobtained by conventional snap fasteners 58 which are so dimensioned andpositioned as to detachably engage suitably positioned studs located onthe outwardly facing (of the stadium seat as a whole) surfaces of theseat and the canopy support member. Such snaps are well known in the artand are not claimed to be a part of this invention.

As shown in FIGURES and 6 the underside of the seat member 12 isprovided at the back edge with two fixed brackets 62 for engaging therough seat or bench and is provided at the front with one adjustablebracket 64 which may be drawn snugly against the underside of the roughbench by suitable manipulation of wing nut 66 on bolt 68, thearrangement being that the bolt passes through a portion of theadjustable bracket and that tightening the wing nut will draw thebracket up tight against the rough bench and will therefore securely fixthe stadium seat in position so that it will not slide about when theoccupants of the stadium seat shift their positions.

It should be understood that while the canopy described hereinabove hasbeen referred to as being made of cloth, it is within the contemplationof this invention that such cloth is not necessarily a woven material,but rather may, and in the preferred embodiment is, formed of ahomogeneous material such as plastic film.

Having described only a typical form and embodiment of the invention, Ido not wish to be limited or restricted to specific details herein setforth but wish to reserve to myself any variations or modifications thatmay appear to those skilled in the art and falling within the scope ofthe following claims.

I claim:

1. A stadium seat comprising a seat member, a back member, hinge meansengaging said seat member to said 4 back member to allow the latter tofold flush with the former when the stadium seat is not in use, a pairof L-shaped canopy support members, means for fixing one of said canopysupport members to each end of said back member in a position wherein afirst leg of each canopy support member extends vertically, and a secondleg thereof extends horizontally 'over the seat member, a cloth canopymember, a canopy storage roller mounted along the rear edge of the seatmember, said cloth canopy member having end portions affixed to saidroller, means on said canopy support members for receiving and retainingtransverse edges of the cloth canopy member, whereby the cloth canopymember can be drawn from the canopy storage roller to a position whereinit extends behind and over a person occupying the stadium seat, and issecured in that position by its engagement with the canopy supportmembers, said cloth canopy member further including, as integral partsthereof, side panel portions which extend from the said second legs ofthe canopy support member to the seat on each side of the stadium seat,and means to detachably secure the side panels in that position.

2. A stadium seat comprising a seat member, a back member, hinge meansengaging said seat member to said back member to allow the latter tofold flush with the former when the stadium seat is not in use, a pairof L-shaped canopy support members, means for fixing one of said canopysupport members to each end of said back member in a position wherein afirst leg of each canopy support member extends vertically, and a secondleg thereof extends horizontally over the seat member, a cloth canopymember, a canopy storage roller mounted along the rear edge of the seatmember, said cloth {canopy member having end portions affixed to saidroller, means on said canopy support members for receiving and retainingtransverse edges of the cloth canopy member, whereby the cloth canopymember can be drawn from the canopy storage roller to a position whereinit extends behind and over a person occupyingthe stadium seat, and issecured in that position by its engagement with the canopy supportmembers, a canopy back panel portion of said cloth canopy member whichis positioned to extend between the said first legs of the said canopysupport members when the canopy member is withdrawn from the canopystorage roller, canopy side panel portions extending from the transverseedges of said back panel portion, said side panel portions beingfoldable against said back panel portion when the canopy is to be rolledupon said canopy storage roller, said side panel portions beingdimensioned to extend around the back of and anterior sides of saidfirst canopy support members to a position wherein the panels extendfrom the said second legs of the canopy support member down to the seatmember, and means for securing said side panel portions to said firstcanopy support members and to said seat member.

3. The structure defined in claim 2 and further including a rigid canopyend member afiixed to a second end of the canopy, means for securingsaid canopy end member to the second legs of the canopy support memberadjacent the free ends thereof.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,256,902 Howe Feb. 19, 1918 2,137,427 Thomson Nov. 22, 1938 2,528,433Hines Oct. 31, 1950 2,661,959 Bell Dec. 8, 1953 3,052,251 De Jean Sept.4, 1962 FOREIGN PATENTS 73,146 Sweden Nov. 17, 1931

1. A STADIUM SEAT COMPRISING A SEAT MEMBER, A BACK MEMBER, HINGE MEANSENGAGING SAID SEAT MEMBER TO SAID BACK MEMBER TO ALLOW THE LATTER TOFOLD FLUSH WITH THE FORMER WHEN THE STADIUM SEAT IS NOT IN USE, A PAIROF L-SHAPED CANOPY SUPPORT MEMBERS, MEANS FOR FIXING ONE OF SAID CANOPYSUPPORT MEMBERS MEANS FOR FIXING ONE MEMBER IN A POSITION WHEREIN AFIRST LEG OF EACH CANOPY SUPPORT MEMBER EXTENDS VERTICALLY, AND A SECONDLEG THEREOF EXTENDS HORIZONTALLY OVER THE SEAT MEMBER, A CLOTH CANOPYMEMBER, A CANOPY STORAGE ROLLER MOUNTED ALONG THE REAR EDGE OF THE SEATMEMBER, SAID CLOTH CANOPY MEMBER HAVING END PORTIONS AFFIXED TO SAIDROLLER, MEANS ON SAID CANOPY SUPPORT MEMBERS FOR RECEIVING AND RETAININGTRANSVERSE EDGES OF THE CLOTH CANOPY MEMBER, WHEREBY THE CLOTH CANOPYMEMBER CAN BE DRAWN FROM THE CANOPY STORAGE ROLLER TO A POSITION WHEREINIT EXTENDS BEHIND AND OVER A PERSON OCCUPYING THE STADIUM SEAT, AND ISSECURED IN THAT POSITION BY ITS ENGAGEMENT WITH THE CANOPY SUPPORTMEMBERS, SAID CLOTH CANOPY MEMBER FURTHER INCLUDING AS INTEGRAL PARTSTHEREOF, SIDE PANEL PORTIONS WHICH EXTEND FROM THE SAID SECOND LEGS OFTHE CANOPY SUPPORT MEMBER TO THE SEAT ON EACH SIDE OF THE STADIUM SEAT,AND MEANS TO DETACHABLY SECURE THE SIDE PANELS IN THAT POSITION.